Picking a college major

Chemistry. The best undergraduate science major. If you are ambitious, you'd pair it with Physics.

Facts and answers wrote:

Chemistry. The best undergraduate science major. If you are ambitious, you'd pair it with Physics.

Could you tell me why? Isn't Chemistry a really hard major? I mean, know hard is good, but what makes the effort worth it compared to the effort needed for something like kinesiology?

If you think undergrad chemistry is hard, wait till med school....

Medical field does not necessarily mean being an M.D. Don't think med school is in this guy's future.

#1 above said "get me ready for med school"

Bio. You'll get a strong background in chem (16 credits at most schools), a decent amount of physics, and a strong understanding of bio/physiology (obviously). You can use elective credits to get in a few classes in nutrition, kines, or whatever else interests you. I don't think a straight chem major would give you the bio that you seem to find interesting. If you want a more chem based program, biochem or molecular bio might also be options. I would advise against majoring in kines. I was in that major for a semester and found that it just didn't have the hard science needed to really understand the material that we were studying. This may be different at some other schools, but from what I have heard it seems that this is the same experience that most have.

For the record, I know guys with History majors who got into med school. As long as you nail your MCATs, they will look at any solid college major. Some schools prefer students with an atypical background.

Combine 'em. Major in biochemistry.

I'm guessing it depends on the school. Also, you will have plenty of space to throw in challenging electives, or even add in a double major; especially if you know your major early and are motivated. Also, if you really like kinesiology and you want to go to med-school, you can always take more challenging classes than the minimum requirements for your major.

Balance out the hard-sciences with a minor in Philosophy or Humanities. You need to be able to see the big picture and not just be programmed to plug n' chug in a lab for the rest of your life.

i had the same thoughts as you. A few tips with hindsight-

Don't major in kines/exphys. I was pondering it and took quite a few classes. A previous poster was right, they are basically glorified PE classes - not a lot of hard science.

Do major in bio if you're interested. Don't get discouraged by all the basic science at the start. It will seem like it has nothing to do with medicine/the human body/running, but it will all tie together by the time you get to upper level classes.

DO explore another interest you might have. minor in film, anthroplogy, english, fine arts, poly sci, etc etc. This is my one regret. I know at 18 all you're interested in is running but things change when you get older and you may want to change directions at some point. This makes it a lot easier. e.g - I wanted to go to med school and treat runners (as a lot of freshman runners do). I've been injured ofr a whilesince graduating college and still want to go into medicine but want to get into international aid/public health and medical journalism. Having some experience outside bio and chem would have mede the transition a lot easier.

Hope this helps.